Illuminated sign.



No. 736,722. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1903. W. M. HALL.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. B. 1902. N0 MODEL.

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Nrrnn STATES Patented August 18, 1903.

I/VILLIAM M. HALL, OFYVCLEVELAND, OIIIO.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,722, dated August18, 1903.

Application inea Mimi s, 19042.' serai No. 97.234. or@ man.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. HALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Signs; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to so-called illuminated signs, and more especiallysuch as are designed to be illuminated at night-time, presenting abrilliant and at the same time artistic eect, both at the night-time andduring the day.

The object of my invention is to attain a sign having the abovecharacteristics in the most economical manner, and also obviate thenecessity of or reducing to a minimum the cementing of the decorativeportions employed to produce the eect.

My invention consists in employing plates of glass provided withprojections at their rear side for the purpose of backing up the severaldesigns of the sign; also, in the employment of one or more plates foreach of the characters, which may be of the same or dierent colors ordesigns.

My invention further consists in other features of construction, whichwill be hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure I is a view in front elevation of a signembodying my invention, illustrating the employment of a single platefor a number or character, a single plate for a single character, andtwo plates of different design or color for the same character. Fig. IIis a detail sketch with parts broken away, illustrating more clearly thestructural features of the sign. Fig. III is a cross-sectional viewtaken through any one of'the characters, illustrating the method which Iprefer to employ in assembling the sign parts. Fig. IV is a modifiedconstruction of a backing-plate which may be employed instead of the oneshown in Figs. I, II, and III.

The following describes, in connection with the drawings, my preferredmethod of constructing or forming the sign.

A represents a plate of glass, which is the face-plate of the sign, Thisplate A is ordinarily provided with characters formed 4by painting overthe rear face of the plate, as at a, Fig." III, in such a'manner as toproduce the characters and leave the same transparent or highlytranslucent; but these characters may be formed byinterposing any opaqueor mainly opaque substance to the rear of the glass of the plate Aand-forming the characters therein.

B represents a plate of transparent material, which is provided at itsrear side with prismatic or other projections b b, which are adapted totransmit light through the plate B and thence through thecharacter-openings a a'.

The design of the projections b l) may be varied, as may also the colorof the plate B. The front of the plate B is made plain, and said plateis made thin, preferably, at the points of intersection of theprojections b.

I prefer that the projections b b be formed as illustrated in Figs. I,II, and III and that the same be closely grouped together; but this isnot absolutely essential, inasmuch as the design may be changed, assuggested in Fig. IV, as may also a space beleft between the projectionsb b on the plate, it being only essential in carrying out my inventionthat the projections b b shall be integral with the plate B and be ofsuiiicient number to produce the given design or coloring of the letter.

In practice and for the lsake of economy I prefer that the plate A beformed with the characters or openings a by means of painting the backthereof and that the individual characters be provided each with aseparate backing-plate B, having the projections on the rear side orface and that said plate B be cemented at the outer edges (the upper andlower) or all edges to the back of the plate A and close .up to thesame.

Heretofore and before my invention it has been common to produce signsof analogous type by forming the openings as I suggest, forming them inthe plate A by painting the rear side of said plate and illuminating theopenings by separate individual pieces of glass called jewels but inthis construction it is essential that each individual jewel beseparatelyhandled, located, and cemented and that a cement be used whichis as far as IOO possible transparent, colorless, and clear, and hencethe construction of a sign according to this idea is expensive both yinmaterial, as the individual pieces are costly, and in workmanship, as itrequires judgment in setting the jewels and providing the proper cement.Also there is a liability, owing to the imperfection of the cement orother cause, of one or more of' the jewels becoming detached, whichresults in disguring the sign.

The above objectionable features are avoided in my invention, as will beclearly seen, and the results attained, as far as illumination isconcerned at night and effect in day, are far greater, inasmuch as thereis no cement intervening between the ornamental backing and the openspaces of the characters.

By my invention a sign having a better effect can be more quickly formedand assembled and is cheaper in every respect than where individualso-callec jewels are ernployed.

In setting forth this invention I have stated that I prefer that theopen characters be formed on the back of the front plate A; but I may,if found convenient, necessary, or desirable, form the characters bypainting over the front face of the plate B, leaving thecharacter-spaces clear, and facing the plate B with a plain glass plate,and while this construction or formationis not in my opinion a desirableone, still it may be employed, and hence I do not wish to limit myselfto the exact construction, formation, or assemblage set forth, nor do Iwish to be limited to the design of the projections b b on the rear ofthe plate B nor to the color of the plates.

I prefer that the plate B be filled at its rear face with projectionssuitably designed either as shown in Figs. I, II, and III or assuggested in Fig. IV and that the front plate A be formed of glass; butit is apparent that any transparent or highly-translucent material maybe employed.

As illustrated in Fig. III of the drawings, I may form a box-chamber Cto the rear of the plate B, the same being adapted to inclose means forilluminating the sign articially when it is desired to employ such typeof sign. The means of artificial illumination may, if desired, beelectric and automatically intermittent; but this feature I do not layany claim to excepting in combination with the sign construction as awhole.

What I claim is-- l. In a sign of the type set forth, the combination ofa transparent or translucent front plate, having an opaque backgroundsecured to the rear face thereof, said background having openingstherein forming suitable characters, and a transparent back platesecured to the rear of said background with integral projections on theback thereof, and vmeans for binding the whole together to form a sign,substantially as described.

2. In a sign ofthe type set forth, the combination with a transparent ortranslucent front plate, having a background of-paint, or like substanceaffixed to its rear face, with character-openings formed therein, with atransparent back plate for each individual character, means for securingsaid back plate to the background said back plate formed with integralrear projections and dat or plain front, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a sign of the type set forth, the combiuationwith a front platehaving characteropenings in a background on its rear face, said openingsbeing transparent or translucent, of a transparent rear plate havingintegral prismatic projections on its rear face adapted to transmitlight, the Whole forming an illuminated sign, substantially as setforth.

4. In a sign of the type set forth, the combination of a transparent ortranslucent front hoga and State of Ohio, this 5th day of March, 1902.

WILLIAM M. I-IALL. Witnesses:

E. B. DONNELLY, W. E. DONNELLY.

